Renewable energy resources are energy resources that are replaced by natural processes at rates faster than such energy resources can be consumed by humans. Examples of renewable energy resources include solar radiation, wind, tides, amongst others. Non-renewable energy resources are energy resources that cannot be produced naturally at the rate they are consumed by humans. Examples of non-renewable energy resources include fossil fuels, such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas, as well as materials utilized to generate nuclear power, such as Uranium. These non-renewable energy resources may have environmental issues associated therewith; for instance, experts have posited that carbon generation may cause global warming. In addition, fossil fuels will become more difficult to extract as supply thereof is diminished, thereby causing costs associated therewith to increase.
As the population of the world has increased, demand for energy has likewise increased, due to population growth as well as more sophisticated apparatuses that require energy to effectively operate (computers, mobile phones, etc). In an example, data centers that are configured to perform complex computational tasks require a significant amount of energy to operate effectively. For instance, relatively large data centers can have an electrical power draw of multiple megawatts at any particular point in time. Furthermore, recent studies indicate that costs of powering data centers is expected to exceed costs of equipment in the relatively near future.
The majority of energy consumed by humans is generated through utilization of non-renewable energy resources. Due to increasing costs and environmental concerns mentioned above, as well as prospects of significant taxation on atmospheric carbon generation, there is increasing global pressure to look to renewable energy sources for generating electrical power. Several issues still exist, however, with respect to power systems that utilize renewable energy resources to generate power. These issues include site selection as well as energy management.
For instance, once a power system that utilizes renewable energy resources to generate electrical power is constructed, the power system will output variable amounts of power over time, as the renewable energy resources vary over time and location. In an example, a wind turbine does not receive a constant amount of wind, but instead receives varying amounts of wind over time. Thus, power output by the wind turbine is varying. Accordingly, if demand for power does not correspond to supply, then consumers of power may not be provided with adequate power from the power system.